Barbados - How It Could Have Been
by Missroxy87
Summary: Roschel AUs set during "The One in Barbados." Two Chapters, two different versions. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody! **

**At the end of "Close Encounters" I revealed that I wanted to write a cycle of Roschel One Shots (which I'm doing) and a cycle of AUs in Barbados.**

**Well, you can't fight the Muse, so in the last few days I decided to write the first AU about the episodes of Friends I dislike the most.**

**Whatever you make up, whatever you write, I do think it will always be far better than the original episodes…**

**So I gave it a shot (the first one of two shots, to be accurate).**

**I hope you like it, all the Roschel fans will probably enjoy this.**

**I also got to tell you that you'll find a few references to other Friends epic moments, tell me at the end if you catch those ;)**

* * *

"So, shall we?" Charlie asked Joey.

"Yeah." Joey replied, taking Charlie's arm under his.

After a round of _goodbyes_ and _good nights_ among the four of them, Ross and Rachel stared at Charlie and Joey walking away, both secretly feeling abandoned by their respective crushes.

Rachel was almost heading for her room, when Ross stopped her, "So, what were you talking about with Joey before?"

"What?" she asked, not catching his question.

"It looked like you were having an important conversation…"

"Oh…no, it doesn't matter, it was…nothing."

Ross knew very well how to recognize a lying Rachel, but he didn't want to encourage her to talk if she didn't feel like it.

At the same time, he wasn't tired at all and he didn't enjoy the idea of being alone that night. Once again, he scrutinized his companion, noticing that she seemed to be as dejected as he was.

"Would you like something to drink?" he proposed.

If Ross knew something about Rachel it was that when she was upset, she liked drinking her worries away with a friend.

"I'd love to!" immediately came the response, letting Ross know how much he still could read her like an open book.

He grinned slyly as they walked downstairs, heading off to the hotel bar.

* * *

A couple of Margaritas were enough to help Ross and Rachel getting into a more comfortable conversation.

"So, Ross…why did you want me to keep you company tonight?"

Ross was impressed about the fact that Rachel, too, seemed to have realized that he didn't want to be alone.

"I'm not sure this is the right place or time to tell you about this."

"Come on, what's missing? A wonderful view, the ocean breeze, drinks?"

Ross chuckled, noticing that she really wanted him to spill his guts.

"Well…Actually it's about Charlie."

"What about her?"

"I don't know, it's just…Maybe I'm just a bit jealous because she's dating Joey."

Rachel couldn't help but agree with him.

"I know how you feel." She confessed, maybe because she was drinking too much. "I kind of have the same problem."

"What do you mean? Do you like Charlie, too?" they both chuckled.

"Of course, not. It's this…colleague of mine." She conveniently invented. "I can't make a move on him because he already has a girlfriend and…I don't know if I really have the guts to tell him how I feel. We are very close friends."

Ross squeezed his eyes, sure that something about what Rachel had just said did not add up.

"Who's this guy?" he was afraid to find out that she was still involved with Gavin, the man she had kissed in front of his eyes the night of her birthday party.

"Just some guy. You don't know him." Rachel returned, trying to keep a straight face not to let Ross understand that she was lying.

Rachel was sure that Ross couldn't handle the truth at that moment.

"Well, if your feelings are strong, maybe you should just tell him. But if you think this is only a crush, the attraction may wear off with time."

Rachel pondered Ross's words and considered her situation. Was she falling in love with Joey? Or was she just willing to be with him, maybe because it had been so much since she had last been with a man?

If she thought about it, the last time she'd slept with a guy, it was the man she was talking to right now. And that was an unforgettable memory that she would always cherish.

She knew that it was perfectly normal to feel a bit horny after so many months of _chastity_, but it was only after talking with Ross about this that she reconsidered everything. Her dream about Joey, her attitude towards him…maybe it was just a way of her body to talk to her.

Rachel came back to her senses, "Well, what about you? Is it only attraction with Charlie or is it something more?"

"I really don't know." Ross admitted. "There are times I think we would be a nice couple, because we have so much in common. But it's always so hard to judge another woman other than…"

Ross stopped before he could say something very compromising.

"Other than who?" Rachel wondered, afraid that she already knew the answer.

Ross's eyes roamed over her face, and then he smiled. "Well, let's just say that when it comes to consider women, my benchmark is always one woman, and it's very high."

Rachel blushed, not knowing if it was for Ross's answer or for the second Margarita that was by now almost over.

Ross knew that he didn't need to say the name out loud; they both knew very well that he was referring to Rachel.

He coughed, feeling emotionally exposed, "Anyway, I'm glad that I'm here with you tonight. I really didn't want to be alone."

Rachel smiled confidently, "You know what? I'm happy too. It's been a long time since we've done something together, just the two of us."

Ross took her hand in his, "Well, that's what friends are for. And ex-husbands!"

They chuckled in delight, still holding hands.

* * *

**THE MORNING AFTER**

Chandler burst into Ross's room without knocking at the door.

"Today's the big day, man! Are you ready for your speech?" he yelled.

Ross was still in bed, startled by Chandler's sudden entrance.

"Yeah, I'm _very_ excited!" he replied, nervously.

"Well, I see that you still got to get dressed, so…See you downstairs for breakfast?"

"Ok, give me ten minutes and I'll be right there. Are the others around?"

"Monica woke up at dawn, still waiting for Pheebs and Joey to show up. Oh, just another thing, have you seen Rachel? Monica was looking for her, but she didn't answer when she knocked on her door."

Ross seemed to be thinking about it, "No, actually I haven't seen her since yesterday night."

Chandler nodded and closed the door behind himself, leaving Ross alone again.

A few seconds later, a dark blonde woman peeked out from under the sheets.

"Do you think he knew I was here?" Rachel gasped.

* * *

Ross was sitting in his bed, still in disbelief for what had happened.

Rachel was lying on her half, her elbows leaning on the cushion to support her as she looked at him.

"Ok, should we talk about…this?" Ross asked, hesitantly.

"I don't know…" Rachel answered. "Do you want to?"

"Well, we'd better." Came Ross's response.

Ross observed her reaction as she wiggled her eyebrow at him.

"Chandler was right, though. I got to get ready for my speech, it's very important to me…so I think I should…focus on that." He was trying to convince more himself than Rachel, who was nodding in agreement.

"But…later…we _really_ need to talk about this."

"Right, ok." She laughed nervously.

"So, can we…postpone our…conversation?" he questioned her.

"Of course. You know where to find me." She laughed in reply.

They stared intently at each other, both wondering whether or not they should kiss before saying goodbye.

When Rachel leaned slowly towards him, Ross did the same.

Again, they were interrupted by someone at the door, this time knocking - fortunately.

Rachel hid under the sheets and Ross covered her as he said, "Come in!"

"Hey-yy…" Joey noticed immediately that Ross was naked. "What's going on?"

"Uhm...it was too hot in here. My air conditioner was broken."

Joey didn't look very convinced, but he shrugged, "Well…Chandler told me to meet you downstairs, I just wanted to wish you good luck for your speech."

"Couldn't you wait after breakfast?" he snapped, in classic Ross style.

Joey thought about it and smile, "Oh, right! Well, I'll be waiting downstairs with Charlie."

Joey exited the room and Rachel got out from her hiding place.

"I'd better get out of here before Monica and Phoebe come through that door, too."

"Fourth time's the charm." Ross quipped.

Rachel smiled at him with sparkles in her eyes, then she collected her dress of the night before – thinking how lucky they had been that it was hidden under Ross's shirt – and she went straight to the bathroom.

Ross stood up and started to get dressed.

Though he knew that his mind should be set on his imminent speech, his thoughts were only of one person.

Rachel.

He needed to talk with Chandler...

* * *

Rachel caught sight of Monica who was walking in front of the buffet table, so she immediately joined her. She was anxious to talk with her about the night before; she really needed her advice.

"Hi!" she greeted her.

"Hey, Rach! Did you hear about Phoebe and Mike? They are back together!"

"What?! How?" Rachel asked in disbelief.

"Because of our meddling! Listen, David told Chandler that he was planning to propose, so I spoke to Phoebe and found out that she was still in love with Mike but she was going to accept for the wrong reasons."

"Then what happened?"

"I called Mike and ordered him to call Phoebe. He did something better, he came here!"

Rachel was astonished both for Monica's behavior AND Mike's response to her directive.

"He proposed to Phoebe, but she said no."

Rachel now was confused, "Then how come they are back together?"

"Because she told Mike that she didn't need a proposal right now, she only wanted to know that they had a future. So they got back together and David flew home."

"Wow…That must have been one hell of a flight."

"I know!" Monica screamed with her typical catch phrase. "So we were at dinner and…"

Rachel now was impatient to change topic, "Listen, Mon, I'm super glad about Phoebe and I'm happy for her, but now I really need to tell you something that will blow your mind."

Monica was curious but also preoccupied, "Oh my God…please tell me that this isn't about Joey!" she grumped.

"No, it's worse. Incredible, but worse." She made a hesitant smile. "Last night…I slept with Ross."

Monica's eyes grew comically wide, "What?! Really? Oh My God! This is so great!" she was grinning from ear to ear.

Rachel didn't understand her reaction, "Mon, I don't get it. Why didn't you want me to make a move with Joey but sleeping with Ross is a great thing?"

"Are you kidding?" she chuckled "It's you and Ross! You were together, you have a daughter, and you were married! This is unbelievable, how did this happen? Was it just a one night thing or are you getting back together?"

Rachel was disoriented by all those questions, "I don't know…it was so sudden…we went out for a drink, we were both sad about Joey and Charlie…"

"Oh God, did you tell Ross about Joey?"

"Yeah, right!" Rachel scoffed her. "We just spoke, and he was so cute and kind. He said some things about us…he's still so affectionate, you know?"

Monica noticed that her friend's lips were turning into the sweetest smile as she recollected those memories.

"And then one thing lead to another and...When we got back upstairs we ended up in bed together."

"This means that you still have feelings for Ross? What about Joey?"

Rachel just shrugged, "I don't know…I had this conversation with Ross and I realized that you were right, I only had a stupid crush on him, that was just some attraction that went out of control. And when I found myself in Ross's arms again…Well, whatever it was, it just disappeared."

Monica smiled in response to Rachel's explanation. "I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am…but you know, this is going to have consequences, Rachel. You and Ross have a daughter, you must talk this through."

"Yeah, and we will, but now he's got this speech to think about, he didn't need distractions."

Monica began to walk again, taking some bacon and eggs for her plate.

"So what's going to happen? Are you guys seriously starting over? No more we-were-on-a-break, no-we-weren't, failed proposals, kissing on balconies and going back living with Joey to avoid solving problems?"

"God, Monica, chill out!" Rachel returned. "I told you, I don't know, yet!"

"Well, you need to figure this out, and soon."

Rachel nodded, "You're right. And you know, I think the fact that this thing happened here in Barbados of all places is…a sign."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when we went to your parents 35th anniversary? How Ross and I pretended to be married because your mother asked us to?"

"Yeah." She commented sternly.

"Well, some people wanted to know details about the fake wedding and we made them up. And I said that we had gotten married on a cliff in Barbados, at sunset."

Monica was getting emotional even if that was a lie, "Oh, that's so romantic!"

Rachel thought about that night and she felt a very familiar lump in her throat. She also remembered how Ross had finally told her the sweet proposal that he had imagined when they were going out. The roller coaster of emotions that she had felt that night was still very impressed inside her mind.

"You know what? I think I do. I want to get back with your brother."

Monica's eyes filled immediately with tears. She didn't notice Ross passing right beside her.

"Mon? Are you ok?" he asked, worried about her.

Rachel stared at Monica, her eyes wide open in terror.

"Nothing, it's just…I'm really excited for your speech!" she answered after a few seconds of hesitation.

Ross smiled and hugged Monica by putting an arm on her shoulders, "Really? You're so sweet!" he kissed her cheek and moved away.

He was looking for Chandler, who was walking around the beverage section of the room.

He immediately approached him, whispering. "I need to talk to you about something."

"If this is still about your speech, I'm so sorry, Ross."

"No, no…listen; when you came to my room before I…I wasn't alone."

Chandler was surprised, "What do you mean?"

"Well, there was…someone…hiding under the sheets." He almost murmured.

Chandler smiled at the realization, "Of course there was someone! Now I understand why you were so weird…and I must say – this really is a relief, man."

Ross just glared at his consideration.

"Well, who was it? That cute receptionist that checked us in?"

"No…" Ross intentionally prolonged the vowel.

"O God, it was Charlie, wasn't she? Please tell me you didn't sleep with Charlie!" Chandler scolded him.

"No!" came Ross's response. "Why are you all so sure that I could steal my friend's girlfriend?"

Ross sighed and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and got as close to Chandler as he could. "It's Rachel." He mouthed.

"Who?" Chandler didn't understand.

"Rachel!" Ross whispered as loud as he could.

"RACHEL?!" Chandler yelled.

All the people in the room turned their heads towards Chandler, and so did Rachel.

"Oh, hi sweetie! I was looking for you and…there you are!" he tried to fixed his previous reaction. All he got was a glare from said woman; Monica watched him hard and just rolled her eyes.

Ross put a hand on his forehead, then he dragged Chandler in a secluded area of the room.

"Did you guys have…?" Chandler asked.

"Yes." Ross informed his best friend, knowing that the topic of him and Rachel having sex was important to the other members of the gang at least as much as it was for the two of them.

"How did this happen?" Chandler was grinning like an idiot, so happy for that news.

"I really don't know…we went out, we drank something…we were feeling a bit depressed about our respective love lives…then we got back to my room, one thing lead to another and…last thing I know is that this morning I woke up with Rachel sleeping by my side."

"Ross, this is huge! What does this mean, are you getting back together?"

Ross shook his head, "I don't know. I mean, we didn't actually have a chance to talk about it. I bought some time; I thought we needed to…clear up our minds. I don't want her to feel under pressure…"

"Oh, of course, this is very neat. Because you don't put pressure to your daughter's mother to convince her to finally go steady seeing that YOU SLEPT TOGETHER FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME!" Chandler almost screamed, trying to put some sense into Ross's mind.

Ross glared at him, "Actually that was just the three-hundredth time!" he specified.

Chandler looked badly at him, clearly wondering if Ross had kept count.

"And anyway, I just wanted to keep a low profile, giving her time to understand what it is that she really wants. Just yesterday she was feeling sad about this guy."

"What guy?"

"I don't know, she said a colleague. That's why I don't want to rush her into anything, last time I did, it didn't turn out well."

"And what do YOU want?"

"If it were for me, I'd ask her to start things up again this very day."

"Weren't you attracted to Charlie?" Chandler questioned him.

"Who's Charlie?" Ross sincerely asked. "Oh, Charlie!" he suddenly remembered.

Chandler grinned to himself, shaking his head. "You are a hopeless case." He chuckled. "I mean…every time, every-single-time that you start liking another woman, all Rachel has to do is just wave in your direction and here you are, immediately ready to go back to her!"

"It's called being in love, Chandler." He said quietly.

"I know." Chandler patted his back.

"So, what does all this mean?"

"It means that you've been in love with her since you were 15, Ross. It's your love for Rachel that defines who you are."

Ross nodded in agreement.

"You think I have to be totally honest with her?"

"For God's sake, yes." He immediately replied. "You can't behave immaturely anymore, you are parents. You have to talk and you must decide if you both want to start things over."

"And…what do you think?" Ross asked him, almost afraid for his response. Chandler's opinion was very important to him.

Chandler smiled, "I think this could be awesome. We all would be happy for this."

"Even Joey?" Ross wondered.

Chandler nodded slowly. "I think so. And even if he wasn't, he would come to terms with this."

* * *

"In a very real way we can bring the Mesozoic era into the 21st century." Ross concluded his speech and smiled to the audience. "Thank you."

All the people in the room stood up to applaud. Ross looked flattered and surprised by this reaction, he felt somehow proud of himself.

All his friends moved closer to congratulate him.

A man with a bow tie and a curious smile on his face shook hands with him, "I thought…it was wonderful!"

Ross was a bit taken aback, "Oh…"

"I'm Jarvis Overblau, Cornell." He sighed. "I mean…the ideas you put forth and…and from someone so…young…and…"

The man sighed again and smiled at Ross blissfully. The paleontologist replied with a frozen smile and realized that this man didn't want just to _congratulate_.

"Ok…Well thank you…" he chuckled with nervousness, trying to pull his hand away.

The man finally let go and walked away.

"So, what did you guys think?" Ross asked, secretly hoping to hear Rachel's thoughts about this.

All his other friends expressed their opinions, then they walked away discreetly.

Rachel was the last to answer, she waited for them to be alone. "You were great."

Ross could distinguish pride in Rachel's expression.

"You really think so?" he gasped in disbelief.

Rachel nodded, her eyes filled with unshed tears. She didn't know why, but she was getting emotional.

"I can't believe you actually liked this."

"What's new? It's not the first time that I come listening to you talking about dinosaurs stuff." She taunted him.

"Yeah, but the last time you came, we were still together."

Rachel nodded, looking at him intently. They didn't say anything, but a thousand words wouldn't keep up with the look of understanding that they shared.

Rachel didn't miss the real meaning behind that sentence. Something was really changing and they needed to figure out what it was.

* * *

Charlie entered her room, finding Joey sitting and wearing a diving mask. He could be so silly at times.

"Hey!" he said, standing up and taking the mask off.

"Hey!"

"So, should we go snorkeling when it stops raining? Some kid told me that there's a sea turtle that chases you if you blow bubbles in its face!"

Charlie shook her head, "I'm sorry, Joey, I can't. I'm running a discussion group all afternoon."

He looked a bit disappointed. "Oh…well, that's ok, I'll find someone else to do it, maybe I'll ask Chandler."

He noticed that Charlie looked really sorry.

"I feel so bad…I haven't seen you this whole trip and I know that last night I was so busy…"

"Don't worry about it, I was fine! I had so much fun with Rachel, but I felt bad for you, stuck in that room, working on Ross's speech…"

Charlie made a face, "Actually…it turned out to be a lot of fun!"

Joey was astonished. "Oh…Oh, well…At least we're both having fun!"

Charlie sighed, "Yeah…"

An awkward moment of silence passed between them

"Is it weird that it's not with each other?"

Joey responded at once, "Yeah, a little bit, yeah."

Charlie sat down on the bed, "I think we need to talk."

"Yeah…I think we do." Joey sighed, with folded arms. "About what?" he naively asked.

* * *

"Hi!" Rachel opened her door with a surprised expression.

Ross had another round table in the afternoon and as the keynote speaker, he couldn't miss it. But he had promised to come and see her right after that.

So she was bewildered to see Joey, instead.

"Hey…" he said, looking downhearted.

"What's going on?" she asked him.

"Uh…Charlie and I broke up."

"Oh My God…" she murmured.

She didn't know what to say. If she thought about it, this was weird.

Only the day before, a news like that could have made her the happiest girl in the whole world. But today, she was uncertain. She just needed to figure out why.

"Why?" she asked, trying to understand better.

"She said that we don't have anything in common."

Rachel nodded in comprehension.

"She said that she's looking for someone more like her…"

Rachel gasped, terrified. Now she knew why Joey and Charlie splitting up bothered her. She wasn't uncertain because she felt something for Joey, at all.

She was afraid that Charlie might chase after Ross!

Now she had her answer.

She'd never had feelings for Joey, just pure lust.

She had to tell Ross that she still loved him. That she was finally _in that place_.

She just needed to find him.

"Joey, I'm sorry about Charlie, but I promise. You're going to find another woman, someone you can share your life with." She gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"I know. Thank you, Rachel."

"Listen, the guys were heading for the play room. I heard they were talking about a ping pong match, why don't you join them?"

Joey smiled, "Yeah, that's a good idea. Why, aren't you coming?"

Rachel shook her head, "I've got something very important to do."

Joey nodded and left the room, leaving Rachel alone with a newfound self-confidence.

* * *

Charlie and Ross walked out after a two-hour long group discussion.

"Ross, I must warn you, as the keynote speaker, the others might want to throw you right into the pool."

Ross smiled at that thought, "Thanks for the warning…Ok, I think I gotta go."

He was anxious to get upstairs and find Rachel.

"Ross…" Charlie stopped him, grabbing his arm. "I kind of need to talk to you."

"Oh, ok…About what?"

"I wanted to tell you that Joey and I broke up." She informed him.

Ross was amazed by that news, "How come?"

Suddenly, he felt very bad for Joey.

"I just realized that we were too different, you know? We shouldn't have gotten together in the first place."

"Well, maybe you are right, but…Joey is so great, and I'm sad if this is hurting him."

"I can't help it, I think I've started to have feelings for…someone else." She admitted.

"Can I ask…who?" Ross was afraid that he already knew the answer.

"I think you know, Ross." She almost purred.

Ross felt her proximity and started to have chills.

He started to think about…everything. But mostly about the night before…

* * *

"_There are times I think we would be a nice couple, because we have so much in common. But it's always so hard to judge another woman other than…"_

_Ross stopped before he could say something very compromising._

"_Other than who?"_

_Ross's eyes roamed over her face, and then he smiled. "Well, let's just say that when it comes to consider women, my benchmark is always one woman, and it's very high."_

* * *

Ross smiled to himself, finally ready to admit something that he'd known all time long.

"What?" Charlie asked.

"Charlie…had you told me this yesterday, I might have embraced you with open arms. I would have told you, let's do this, let's get together. But today…I've just realized that I still have feelings for someone else."

"Can I ask who?" Charlie repeated his former words.

"It's Rachel." He announced, glad to say this out loud.

Charlie's eyes went down to the floor. But she looked back at him when Ross caressed her arm.

"Hey…I'm sorry, Charlie. But I don't see any woman in my life other than Rachel."

Charlie caught with a glimpse a female figure dashing across the room behind Ross, looking a bit worried when she noticed the two of them together.

Ross didn't know that Rachel was right behind him when Charlie asked, "Is she important to your life?

Ross nodded, with a dreamy expression on his face.

"She's always been one of my best friends…she's also my sister's best friend." Ross kept listing the relationships he shared with Rachel. "She's been my girlfriend. And she's also been my wife, at some point. She's the mother of my child."

Charlie nodded, glancing at Rachel who was listening carefully to Ross's words, too surprised to think of stopping him or acknowledge him of her presence.

"She's been many things to me…it doesn't matter whether we're together or apart, she'll always be the woman of my life. She's my _everything_."

Ross eventually felt someone gasping behind him. Charlie made a slight nod to point at the woman who had just crumbled into tears in front of her, too overwhelmed by Ross's words.

The man turned around slowly, worried to find out that Rachel had listened to every word he'd just said.

When she looked at him with tears in her eyes, Ross thought that it was over. That his intention not to put any pressure on her had just vanished.

But Rachel approached him, putting her tiny hands on his face. As an automatic response, Ross's hands went to her waist.

Charlie silently walked away, but she was still too enamored by the scene not to look at them.

"Do you really think that?" Rachel asked, her voice broken for the emotion.

"Every word. I've always felt this way, Rach. If I never told you, it's just because I'm the biggest idiot on this planet."

Rachel chuckled. "Ok…Ok…" she sighed. "Well, now let's get serious…Because this is where I want to be, ok? No more messing around, I don't want to mess this up again!"

"Me neither, ok? We are… we're done being stupid." Ross agreed.

"You and me, alright? This is it."

"This is it." Ross thought those were the best words he'd ever heard in his entire life.

Rachel smiled, as happy as she could be.

"And I promise you…I will never ask you to take another break, EVER."

They both chuckled at that, and Ross took advantage of her joke to ask, "So, you eventually admit that we were on a break?"

"If you admit that you cheated on me."

Ross nodded, getting serious again. "I do. And I beg you from the bottom of my heart to find the strength to forgive me for what I did, Rachel…"

Rachel nodded, tears in her eyes. "I already did, Ross. I forgave you years ago, I was ready to start things up again when we were at the beach. I told you that I still loved you, and I meant it, and writing that stupid letter is the worst idea I've ever had."

Ross was almost crying, too.

"I flew to London to prevent you from getting married to another woman; even then I wanted to tell you…But I couldn't… I –"

"You forgave me…" Ross interrupted her, a tender smile on his face.

Rachel simply nodded back with conviction.

"So, we put everything behind…and we start again? Really?"

Rachel smiled. "There's nothing I want more. For us. For Emma."

Ross thought about their child, waiting for them back in New York, not knowing what incredible surprise awaited her.

He finally kissed Rachel, trying to convey everything he was feeling when their lips touched. After a few seconds of bliss, he leaned his forehead on Rachel's.

"There's one last thing I got to tell you."

"What?" she whispered, still recovering from their kiss.

"I love you. Always have, and always will."

Rachel smiled tenderly, "Same here, honey."

They both sighed as they hugged.

"Same here."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello Friends Fans!**

**Here is my second version of the terrible Barbados Episodes.**

**Mostly for Roschel fans, of course. You know I hate Roey.**

**This is the second (and last) one shot, but should I come out with new ideas, I'll reopen this short fan fiction.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"So, shall we?" Charlie asked Joey.

"Yeah." Joey replied, taking Charlie's arm under his.

After a round of _goodbyes_ and _good nights_ among the four of them, Ross and Rachel stared at Charlie and Joey walking away, both secretly feeling abandoned by their respective crushes.

Rachel was almost heading for her room, when Ross stopped her, "Got any plans for tonight?"

"Well…Monica and Chandler are having dinner with Phoebe and David, so I think I will go straight to bed."

"Oh."

Ross wasn't tired at all and for some reason he didn't enjoy the idea of being alone that night. Something that he couldn't quite define was telling him that Rachel felt just like him.

"Would you like something to drink?" he proposed.

Rachel pondered her options. She could go to her room on her own, probably spending the whole night worrying about Joey, or she could accept Ross's invitation. Yes, she was definitely up for a good Margarita.

"Ok." Came her response.

Ross's lips turned into a pleased smile, "Good, let's go. I've been told that the bartender downstairs makes the best Margaritas in the whole neighborhood."

Rachel flashed an amused grin at him, delighted to notice that Ross still knew when she was craving for her favorite cocktail.

* * *

When the rain calmed a bit, Ross and Rachel took their drinks and walked outside to have a sit in the hotel patio. There were a few other people around them, all mesmerized by the breathtaking panorama in front of them.

The sea was quiet, even if it was raining, and the smell of the ocean carried by a gentle breeze was titillating their senses.

"You know, I'm glad to be here." Ross politely said, holding the glass in his hand.

"Yeah, the view is just wonderful." Rachel commented.

"No, I meant, I'm happy that you're here, with me. I'm not in a very good mood tonight."

"Because of Charlie?" Rachel inquired with understanding.

Ross was a bit taken aback by her knowledge of his feelings. Maybe he hadn't been that subtle, after all.

"I still don't get it." Rachel grumped.

"What?"

"Why she's dating Joey." She explained.

Rachel had decided to go out with Ross to divert her thoughts from her crush on Joey. But it wasn't that easy.

Ross shook his head, exhausted by the hundreds of variables to consider in his situation. "I was sure that Charlie wanted to be with Joey, and I didn't want to get in the way. But after this afternoon…I don't know, I just have this feeling that Charlie likes me. And it bothers me, because Joey is my best friend, and I don't want to argue with him over a woman. It happened before…"

Ross suddenly realized what he had just said. He looked warily at Rachel, who nodded in comprehension.

"Well, I don't want that to happen again." Ross continued to speak. "We almost lost our friendship over it, I can't – I can't deal with that."

Rachel was caught off guard by Ross's words. Her thoughts immediately focused on the memory of the day of Emma's birth.

She was so hopeful to get back together with Ross, then.

What had changed in such a short time?

A few months and she had suddenly started to have feelings for Joey?

She recalled the way it had felt when Ross had finally admitted that he had been _feeling_...

§§§

'_Then maybe, at least we can, we can talk about us again.'_

'_Yeah, maybe.'_

_§§§_

She had been surprised but ecstatic, so happy to have a chance to get back where she belonged, with Ross.

And yet, the whole Joey's-non-proposal had become an issue, and Ross had lost his nerve. After coming back home with Emma, they had never really spoken about it, not until they had fought over Gavin and that stupid kiss on the balcony.

Rachel suddenly became aware of the fact that it was the first time since she had started fancy Joey that she thought about her relationship with Ross.

'_Get a grip, Rachel.'_ She thought.

She shook her head slightly and listened to what Ross had to say.

"I can't help it. I think Charlie is very special. Or at least, she might be special to me. From my perspective, we have so much in common. Don't you think she should be with someone she could share her interests with?"

Rachel narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, "Well, you know, sometimes having so much in common isn't a good thing."

Ross raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Are you sure? When we were together, that was our main problem."

"What? Different interests?" Rachel asked, pushing her hair from her face.

"Yes."

"Ross, in spite of the circumstances that led to our split-up…well, every split-up…" she taunted him. "When we were together, we were actually good."

Ross couldn't help but let a wavering grin appear on his face.

"We had a complex relationship, of course, but the fact that we always tried to meet halfway made us involved in a very solid commitment. Sure, we didn't have many interests in common, and I never loved all those hours spent listening to your scientific lectures in freezing auditoriums. I guess tomorrow I won't understand half of your speech and I will probably laugh every time you mention one of the _homos_…"

"Cute, thanks." Ross whined jokingly.

"But when you told me things…Or when you tried and teach me something…" Rachel interjected him. "I saw how passionate you were about your job, and it was great to see you like that."

Ross was left speechless, partly for her words, partly for Rachel's expression. Her eyes were sparkling with a nostalgic light.

"Or – or...remember how we used to argue about which program to watch? We fought over the remote, zapping between _E!_ and _National Geographic_, and in the end you gave up only to please me, but I knew that you were actually boiling inside."

Ross kept gazing at Rachel, wrapped up in the familiar warm sensation that those kind of memories usually evoked.

"And sometimes we ended up watching nothing at all, just cuddling on the couch, in front of an old movie…And it felt…"

Rachel shook her head, a tender smile gracing her features. She eventually stared back at Ross, whose deep brown eyes were roaming all over her face.

Ross sighed deeply; regret resurfacing like it did every single time he thought about their break-up.

"Yes, but…look how we ended up because of my insecurities. I was so convinced that you cared more about your job than me that I got influenced by my fear. I didn't trust you and…in the end I was the one who betrayed your trust."

Ross took a sip of his drink, wondering if it was the alcohol or that gloomy mood that made him confess those things.

Rachel's voice took on a low whispering tone when she answered, "It was a long time ago, Ross. I think you grew up since then. You don't need a girlfriend to share every moment with, neither a woman that likes what you like. That's not your priority anymore."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, for starters you have Emma." Rachel smiled.

Ross chortled. "Yeah…she's the most important girl in my life, now."

Rachel waved her hand, "Exactly, and you know what? Maybe now you have a very different kind of fear. Maybe you are just afraid that you won't find someone to share the rest of your life with."

Ross gasped, "How do you figure?"

Rachel knew him too well, "You've always been looking for _her_, Ross. You need someone to be with, you're not very good on your own."

Even if years were going by, Rachel was still the person who understood him better than anyone, Ross realized.

"So you think that my being head over heels for Charlie depends on the fact that I'm afraid to die an old maid?"

Rachel chuckled, "No, you like Charlie, but…just the fact that she's with Joey should help you understand that she's not the woman you need. I know that she might break up with Joey, and this would make a difference. But it's a moot point, because she _is_ with him."

Ross nodded in agreement, "You are right. And I wouldn't do anything to ruin their relationship."

Rachel smiled with satisfaction. They were being so honest and open with each other, maybe it was time to discuss _her_ issue?

She knew that Ross would be broken, but she felt the need to spill her guts.

"Ross, I really need to tell you something. It's – it's…well, it's something very important, and it's wearing me out and you need to know, because I'm afraid that keeping this secret from you would make things worse."

Ross lingered on her words, a questioning look on his face.

"I want to make it clear that I won't act on this thing if I don't get your complete and genuine approval. I don't want to lose our friendship."

Afraid of what Rachel might have in store for him, Ross sighed, "You don't need to worry about that, Rach. Just tell me."

"Ok, here's the thing…" Rachel huffed to gather some strength. "In the last few weeks I've had these feelings for…a man."

"What kind of feelings? Are you in love with this someone?" Ross inquired tenderly.

"Not love, no!" She pointed out, astonishing herself, too. "I think I'm attracted to him, because I feel something when I see him, but I can't quite figure out what it is."

"Ok…"

"I mean, when I see this guy, I always want to make a move on him to find out what it is about him that captivates me instinctively. The problem is, that this man is dating someone else, and I'm afraid of what this whole thing could do to _our_ friendship." Rachel explained, indicating Ross and herself to make him understand.

Ross squeezed his eyes, "Why are you so afraid for our friendship?"

Rachel stared at him without batting an eye, managing to make a small sorrowful smile. Ross recognized her, _'I think you know why'_ look.

He shook his head, the magnitude of that confession gnawing him from underneath.

"It's Joey." He stated sternly.

Rachel just nodded in response, closing her eyes with guilt.

Ross took another sip of his Margarita, incapable of stopping smiling in discomfort.

After placing the glass on the table, he rubbed his eyes. He sighed heavily and stood up from his chair, leaning his arms on the fence.

§

The name of Charlie that had filled up his thoughts for the last hours, abruptly disappeared from his mind.

Whatever feelings he ever had for Charlie – all of them, they were gone.

That was the essence of his relationship with Rachel.

Whenever Ross realized that he could lose her – was it because he was involved with another woman, was it because his current wife demanded him not to see her anymore – he couldn't think straight. The mere idea of having Rachel out of his life for good was unbearable.

Ross sniggered to himself, understanding how lame he actually was.

Since Rachel had come back into his life, he'd had a few girlfriends; whenever the bond between himself and those women got too serious, he always found a way to split up or get dumped.

Julie, Bonnie, Emily, Elizabeth, Mona.

Ross's epiphany almost destabilized him.

He was never truly _in love_ with those women. Not even Emily. He just liked them, cared for them, but it was never _love_.

He had always tried to fool himself, especially with Emily, but the truth was that in his mind there had always been one constant thought.

He was blinded by the illusion that he and Rachel were meant to be.

For one blissful year, that had been his magic reality.

And after their horrible break-up, the question of _'us'_, as he once named it, had never been really off the table. In spite of all their quarrels and issues, he'd always hoped that one day they would get back together, if only for Emma's own good.

Ross knew that until he got a one-track mind, he would never give a real chance to any other relationship.

That was the reason why he had rejected Jill's advances; a motivation that also justifies the way Ross had bluntly stopped dating when a very pregnant Rachel had begged him to.

Now, discovering that she felt something for Joey, terrorized him. He knew too well that this could be the end of the whole _Ross and Rachel_ saga.

Caught up in his thoughts, Ross didn't detect said woman approach him.

"Ross, please, say something."

Ross shook his head, he wasn't ready to speak, yet.

"Listen, if you say that this is unacceptable, I promise I won't do anything about it. it doesn't matter if I am attracted to Joey, it doesn't matter that he fell in love with me in the past and maybe he still feels something for me. I don't want to spoil our relationship; I'm NOT going to hurt you, I owe you at least that."

Ross nodded fast, internalizing her words.

"God, if I am annoyed by the way you talk about Charlie…then I can't imagine how much the idea of me and Joey together could piss you off."

Ross finally looked at her, still shaken. "True." He stated softly. "Rach, you've got to know this. We've talked about Charlie for ten minutes. But after what you told me…Well, basically I forgot everything about her. I think that for the first time in my life I really am speechless."

"This can't be the first time you don't know what to say." Rachel tried and tease him.

"Yeah, you're right." Ross commented. "There was one other time that I actually didn't know what to say to you, and it was when you told me, _'How come it is.'_"

Rachel was overwhelmed by his statement, she shook her head, "Ross…"

"No, Rach…" he interrupted her. "This is huge. Please, give me a second."

Rachel nodded, trying to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes.

It took Ross a couple of minutes to find his voice again.

"Rach, we haven't been a couple in like…six years. Oh my god, has it been that long?"

Ross's realization disturbed even Rachel, who simply nodded, "Yeah, I guess."

"Well, after what you just confessed to me, the only thing I can tell you is that I am…relieved…that you asked for my opinion before. God, I can't imagine what I would have done if I had found out about you and Joey _after_."

"What do you mean?"

"You know me…I would have overreacted, probably."

"Probably." Rachel smiled at him.

"I got to tell you, though. It'll take me some time to…get used to the idea of you and Joey. Can you cope with that?"

"Seems just fair."

"Also, I want to give you the same advice you just gave me. What we said before goes for you too, Rach. Joey and Charlie are a couple; you must wait for their relationship to be over." Ross then smiled wryly, "Even if we both know that you have this penchant for acting on impulse, when you like a man. You usually…find a way to let him know."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rachel taunted him.

"Well, when I was with Julie you certainly did little to hide that you had feelings for me. Let's just say that it wasn't hard for me to choose you instead of her, stupid list of pros and cons aside."

Rachel felt Ross's fingers positioning on her hand as he said, "What did you expect me to do, after that mind blowing kiss at Central Perk?"

As the intoxicating memory of their first proper kiss kicked in, Rachel felt the familiar and yet renewed sensation of the butterflies in her stomach.

She tried to shook that thought from her mind, "Hey, I was drunk when I called to tell you that I was over you!" she justified her behavior.

Ross chuckled, "Ok, let's change the setting. Montaulk, Bonnie. You balded the woman for the love of god! You SO wanted me to break up with her!"

Rachel couldn't help but grin delightfully at that memory, and so did Ross.

"Would you call that _acting on impulse_ to get your man back? I kissed her off that very night and turned to you instead."

Rachel's blush went unnoticed as she touched her stomach.

Butterflies, again. Recalling the incredible passionate kiss that they had shared that night was enough to affect her a lot.

Rachel realized that her mind hadn't been set on Joey for a while. The entertaining thought of her and her roommate together wasn't obsessing her anymore.

"Ok, ok." She admitted. "Bonnie was my bad. But I'm not always been that possessive over you!"

"Change of setting, it is. Jill comes to town, we go out. What do you ask me? Better, what do you _beg_ me to do?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, then she stared guiltily at the ocean in front of herself, "Not to go out with my sister."

Ross kept listing, "You are pregnant with Emma, I meet that shop girl, uhm…Katie, at that baby furniture store. We go out for a coffee, what do you ask when I get back?"

"Not to date anymore." She whispered.

"When I was getting married with Emily?"

Rachel glared at Ross in scorn, pointing her little finger at his face, "Hey, I came to London but I didn't tell you that I was still in love with you!"

"Same difference! It was enough to see you there to make me say the wrong name at the altar!" he snapped bluntly.

Rachel's eyes grew almost comically wide. Ross diverted his gaze from her, realizing at once that he'd just blurted out a secret he'd sworn he would take to the grave.

"What did you just say?" Rachel asked nervously.

"I meant, yeah like – like you said, if I had seen a circus freak, I would have said, _'I take thee circus freak._'"

Rachel was getting upset, "No, no, wait a minute, you never told me that before. Is it true? You said my name because you saw me there?" she asked, incredulous.

Ross shook his head, "No, I didn't." he lied.

Rachel took his shirt collar with her tiny hands, rage appearing on her face. "Stop it, Ross! This is too important, you never told me the truth about what happened in London!" she yelled at him. "You always said that it was a mistake, that it didn't mean anything! Someone would ask, and you answered, _'No, no, I was just nervous and it was a lapse.'_" She said, imitating Ross's whining voice.

She let go of his shirt and Ross stared intently at her, considering every line, every curve of that face he loved so much.

Rachel's lip quivered, "When we came home and I told you that I was still in love with you, and you didn't reciprocate…your words suggested only that you wanted to save your wedding at any cost."

Ross shook his head slowly, devastated by those memories.

"And then you told me that you were throwing away your marriage because Emily couldn't trust you anymore, that the fact that you didn't want to lose me was just one marginal reason. You never, EVER told me that you still had feelings for me!" she shouted again.

Ross's eyes were expressing how sorry and desolate he really felt.

"What should I have told you, Rach, uh?" he argued. "I had just gotten married, for the second time, with the WRONG woman! I should have told you that seeing you raised all kind of doubts? That I wasn't sure anymore? That everyone was walking down the aisle with a smile on their faces, but I was a nervous wreck?"

Rachel just stared at him, her mouth opened in surprise.

"Then Emily walks down the aisle, and I get SICK. I keep getting a glimpse of you, sitting among the guests, and I wonder what I should do. I think, _'I am getting married to the wrong woman, Rachel is the one who is supposed to be here with me.'_"

Rachel couldn't stand it anymore, she let the tears stream down her face freely.

Ross noticed her condition, but after all those years he needed to take everything off his chest.

"In my mind I keep having these visions where you are the one walking down the aisle, not her. And when Emily arrives in front of me, I finally smile because…the only face I am seeing, is _yours_. So, why do you think I said your name that day?" Ross concluded.

Rachel sobbed, trying to come to terms with what she had just heard. But what mattered more to her, in that moment, was the fact that the thought of Joey had just completely disappeared from her mind.

Like a cold, you can't really nurse it, you just need to get it out of your system. And it looked like she had just _healed_.

"Why didn't you tell me, Ross? This would have changed everything, this would…"

She was blathering pointlessly, and she knew it.

"It wasn't fair to tell you, Rach. It would have made things worse; I didn't want to hurt you more than I already had. I felt I had to save my marriage, but I was wrong. And when it was all over…you were the one over me."

"What do you mean, I was over you?"

"We got married in Vegas and you did everything you could to annul the marriage! I reckoned that wasn't the right time to confess that I still loved you."

Rachel was even angrier than before, "You should have, you big – IDIOT! Why weren't you honest? At least that day that you brought me the divorce papers to sign?"

Ross rubbed his forehead in exasperation, "Rachel, it was too hard! I was sure you weren't in that place anymore, you signed the documents, didn't you?"

Rachel kept crying softly, "All this time, Ross…we slept together, I got pregnant…we lived together for months and you never told me! You let Joey made that absurd non-proposal while you should have been the one to ask me!"

"For the last time, I didn't want to propose!" he lashed out. "I wanted to start things up again! Do you have any idea of how happy I was when you finally admitted having feelings for me? That you were willing to give it another try?"

Rachel couldn't believe this, "Then you should have listened to me and forget all that Joey-proposal-fiasco, we could have gotten together, we could have…"

She couldn't talk anymore, too much spent by that unbelievable conversation.

She had gotten out to have a drink with her best friend, hoping to forget about her stupid crush on her other friend. And now she was reminiscing about her past, trying to understand how twisted her relationship with Ross would be from then on.

"Too much happened, Rach." Ross explained. "And then…" he shrugged. "Our usual misunderstandings got in the way. We both behaved like fools, we weren't honest with each other and now…well, here we are. You, with feelings for Joey, and I, trying to find a woman to replace you."

Rachel hung on Ross's words, sensing that he wasn't over.

"But this isn't going to happen. Nobody can compare to you, Rach. Because…you have no substitute. No woman will ever take your place in my mind and heart."

Ross turned around, ready to disappear from her view, knowing that he had done the stupidest thing, telling her all this.

It took Rachel a couple of seconds to internalize everything, but when she did, she grabbed Ross's arm to make him turn around.

He looked at her with confusion and regret in his eyes, but Rachel's expression conveyed all other kind of feelings.

After a long hard look, she pulled Ross towards herself and she placed her lips on his, tentatively at first, but getting more confident when she noticed that he was answering her kiss.

Ross's mind was a roller-coaster of thoughts, but the first that made him stop kissing Rachel was the memory of Joey. He suddenly pushed her away, gasping for air.

"Rachel, what does this mean? We can't stick to something that doesn't exist, we must be serious, we have Emma to think about."

That was Rachel's cue to finally understand how much Ross had really matured.

He wasn't putting his happiness at the first place. Neither Rachel's, nor theirs.

Emma was his first thought, their beloved daughter.

And this little detail made Ross irresistible to Rachel. Her eyes roamed over his face, admiration clearly visible in her expression. She kissed him with such fervor and passion, that Ross had to let himself go, forgetting all about his previous predicament.

It lasted a few seconds, though, because he tried to stop her again, "Rach, you just told me that you have feelings for Joey, what the hell are you doing?" he inquired softly, tracing his fingers down her face. "If you are looking for comfort, you know I can't give it to you."

She shook her head vigorously, "I'm not looking for a rebound, Ross. Forget what I said before. I did tell you that I hadn't quite figured out what kind of feelings I had. Now I know." The soft touch of her hand became a full caress as Ross leaned his cheek into her palm. "It was just a silly crush, maybe it was because I haven't been with a man for months, since our bonus night."

Ross was incredibly thrilled to find out that Rachel hadn't been with any other man since she'd gotten pregnant.

"It was just this stupid dream I had…god, I'll tell you everything about it, but…I needed to feel something again, you know? Emotion, excitement…and talking with you tonight made me _feel_ much more than anything else."

Ross felt a tear forming to the corner of his eyes; he couldn't believe that this was actually happening.

"I realized what I should have understood months ago."

"What, Rach?" he asked, hopeful, as his hands came up to rest possessively on her hips, their favorite spot.

She stroked his cheeks, again. "That I still love you, Ross. Always have and always will. In spite of all our flaws, in spite of the fact we drive each other crazy, in spite of how challenging it is to be with you, because I know, there will be fights. And even if to other people it looks like we are not compatible, I don't care. I love you. God, I've loved _anyone_ but you."

This time Ross, encouraged by Rachel's words, initiated the kiss.

"And…what about Charlie?" she cautiously asked, breathing to catch her breath.

"Charlie who?" Ross taunted her, causing Rachel to giggle wryly.

When their laugh subsided, Ross answered seriously, "Rachel, whatever it is that I ever felt for Charlie, it was enough to hear you saying those things tonight to make me forget it. Remembering what we said before? The ball is always in your court. Whenever you wanted me, you only had to tell me those three magic words to make me come back. There's nothing I can't do about it."

Rachel blushed slightly, grinning from ear to ear.

"You say you've never loved anyone but me; I say that I was _born_ to love anyone but you."

Rachel's memory went back to the fateful night when she had watched the _prom video_ with her friends.

"This is why you were ready to take me to the prom? Even if I went there with another guy?" she tenderly asked.

"This is why I would have taken you to the prom." He reassured her. "And this is why I promise I'm not going to betray your trust ever again, if you forgive me for what I did. It took me six years to get your trust back; I won't waste my second chance, Rach."

Rachel nodded, crying again. "Actually, that would be your third chance." She teased him, trying to ease the tension.

Ross chuckled, "And I swear, Rach. You won't hear me say that we were on a break anymore, for the rest of our lives."

Rachel burst out laughing through the tears, "Oh, honey. This is the perfect deal."

* * *

**THE MORNING AFTER**

Monica caught sight of Rachel as she walked in front of the buffet table, serving herself with bacon and eggs.

She'd been looking for Rachel in her bedroom, but after knocking for a minute, Monica had desisted, finally convinced that she wasn't there.

Monica noticed the smile on her friend's face, indicating that she was in a very good mood.

"Morning, Rach!"

"Hey! Morning to you too." Rachel returned, grinning delightfully.

Rachel's smile was almost contagious.

"Why the smiley face?" Monica asked, curious.

"Nothing, I'm just in a good mood."

When Rachel hummed a tune, though, Monica decided to figure out what was going on with her.

"What's the matter with you? Last time I saw you like that was – oh my god!"

"What?" Rachel asked cautiously.

"You had sex tonight!" Monica almost yelled.

"Shhhhh!" Rachel tried and silence her.

Even if Monica wasn't completely right, Rachel knew that something _had_ happened that night.

"This is why you weren't in your room before?"

"Yes." Rachel conceded, nodding with enthusiasm.

"So, who were you with?" Monica inquired.

Rachel squeezed her eyes and shrugged, "I'm not sure I can tell you, yet."

"Come on, I'm your best friend!" Monica prodded her.

"Well, I don't know if I can tell you _this_." Rachel explained.

Monica's face turned white, "Oh my god, you slept with Joey, didn't you?"

Rachel scoffed, "No, Monica! How can you possibly think that? Joey has a girlfriend!"

"So? Has that ever been an obstacle for you before?" Monica asked, thinking about all the times Rachel had chased Ross even if he was with another woman.

Rachel pondered her words, "You know, I'm afraid that's a popular opinion."

Monica chuckled, patting her friend's arm, "Come on, Rach, tell me."

Rachel's face suddenly lightened up at the sight of somebody entering the room. Monica followed Rachel's gaze until her own eyes met the source of the change in her best friend's look.

It was none other than her brother.

And Ross was glowing too, or at least as soon as he realized that Rachel was in the room.

Both of them were radiating that kind of warmth that they only manifested when they were together.

Monica was used to these expressions of affection between them. Whenever Rachel entered their apartment and Ross was already there, he always greeted her in a very different way than what he usually did with Phoebe or herself.

And for her part, Rachel always smiled secretly every time that Ross made fun of himself in front of them. She also had a soft smile plastered on her face every time that Ross held their daughter in his arms.

Thus that morning Monica wasn't surprised to see Ross and Rachel's demeanor change completely at each other's presence.

What gave it away, though, was the fact that her brother was staring at his former girlfriend with heart eyes and that Rachel was blushing like a teenager who's eyeing her school crush.

Monica turned around to look better at Rachel, who had an amused grin on her face.

"You and my brother?" Monica silently screamed.

"Yes!" Rachel admitted.

"Oh my god! This is so exciting!" Monica touched her chest to emphasize her surprise. "I mean, it's great, it's huge, it's…it's unbelievable!"

"Yeah, it really is." Rachel agreed.

"What – what does it mean? Are you getting back together?"

Rachel nodded with the sweetest smile on her face, "Yes. We spoke all night long, willing to overcome our past differences and problems, and…it was awesome, you know? We talked 'til dawn, then we had a walk on the beach, we saw the sun rising..."

"You guys stopped the rain!" Monica taunted her gleefully.

"It was like a sign…like the sun is shining again on our relationship."

Monica was touched by Rachel's words, she almost started to cry just as a beaming Ross approached them.

"Hi." He whispered.

"Hi." Came Rachel's response.

"Did you sleep?"

"Almost an hour." Rachel stated quietly. "You?"

He shook his head, "Not so much."

"Won't you be tired for your speech?" Rachel asked with gentle concern.

"It was totally worth it." Ross returned with a dreamy smile on his face.

Then he finally acknowledged his sister's presence, looking at her for the first time that morning. She had an almost dumb expression on her face.

"What's up, Mon?" he wondered.

"She knows." Rachel interjected.

"What? You didn't manage to keep the secret even for two hours?"

Rachel was almost responding, but she was interrupted by Chandler approaching them. He had a stupid smile on his face, too. He looked at Rachel, then at Ross.

Then at Rachel, and then at Ross.

He was almost gloating.

"You told Chandler!" Rachel scolded Ross.

Ross chuckled, "Oh, well, they were meant to find out sooner or later."

The four of them kept giggling for a moment.

"I'm so happy." Rachel confessed.

"Me too." Ross couldn't agree more.

They shared a tender kiss before walking away, headed towards one of the tables.

As he watched his friends walking away, Chandler tried to ignore his wife's hair, still huge because of the humidity.

"Can you believe this?" he asked Monica.

"No." She confessed. "I'm still shocked. But this might be the most wonderful thing happening since Emma's birth."

Chandler nodded, "We really needed a joyful news like that, uh? Take our minds off things."

"You're right." Monica smiled tenderly. "God, I can't believe they are really back together after all this time. I've hoped for this, dreamed of this …and now my wish came true!"

Chandler kissed her on the cheek, "You're so sweet caring about them so much."

"I just want Emma to grow up in a happy family, like the one Ross and I had."

Chandler noticed that Monica was again thoughtful, so he immediately intervened to soothe her. "We'll have our family too."

Monica smiled sadly, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I know." She whispered, hugging her husband.

Chandler then took a glimpse of Ross and Rachel, sitting and talking amiably at the table. He shook his head, "I still can't believe those two!"

"How you think Joey is gonna take this?"

"I think we are about to find out." Chandler replied, nodding towards the entrance of the room.

* * *

Joey and Charlie had just arrived, followed by Phoebe and Mike, all of them looking very relaxed.

"Mike?" Rachel almost yelled when she saw him.

"Oh, right, you don't know yet." Phoebe stated bluntly, dragging Mike closer to Ross and Rachel's table. "Mike and I are back together!"

"What about David?" Ross wondered.

"Back in New York." Mike explained. "He took a flight over night."

"Yeah…it turned out that he wasn't the right person for me." Phoebe flashed a tender smile at Mike, which didn't go unnoticed by Ross and Rachel.

"Oh, Pheebs…I'm so happy for you guys."

Mike and Phoebe kissed and sat down, just as Charlie and Joey were approaching them.

"So, you heard the good news?" A grinning Joey asked. "I'm so glad that these two lovebirds are finally back together!"

Chandler heard this remark while walking towards his friends, "Oh, so you told them?" he asked, addressing Ross and Rachel. "You took it well."

"Of course, I'm thrilled!" Joey stated.

Chandler smiled, noticing how much his best friend had grown up. "It's the best thing for Emma, too."

Ross and Rachel shared a worried look; Joey's expression turned into a baffled one; Charlie squeezed her eyes, sure that she might have misunderstood Chandler's words.

But then she noticed Ross and Rachel's behavior. They were sitting together; their chairs were too close to be a coincidence. She realized much faster than Joey what was going on between them, a knowing smile brightening up her face.

"What about Emma?" Joey asked.

Realizing his terrible intrusive mistake, Chandler almost stammered in response, "Uhm…I…"

Monica put a hand on his shoulder, "I think you just pulled a Chandler."

"I think so too, hon." He screamed, nervous. "I think I'm going to bury myself under the sand."

He walked away slowly, leaving Joey with his previous doubt.

"What was he talking about?" he inquired directly Ross and Rachel.

Ross stared at him with anxiety, not knowing how to broach the subject. "Uhm…yesterday Rachel and I talked and…we decided to…uhm…give it another try."

"To what?" Joey asked, a dumb expression appearing on his face while Phoebe started to grin from ear to ear.

"To us." Ross kept talking.

Joey shook his head, still oblivious.

"We are back together, Joe!" Ross eventually dropped the news.

Cheerful greetings could be heard all around the table as Phoebe and Mike congratulated the couple.

Joey now knew why his two friends had been worried about his reaction and he had to admit that he was a bit taken aback by this revelation.

Was it because he still had feelings for Rachel or because seeing the two of them like that, holding hands and smiling to each other, felt familiar and…definitive?

Like something that should have happened sooner?

Yes, he might have had feelings for Rachel, at one time. But that was the moment he understood that they were gone.

"Actually…this was the smartest decision we could have made." Rachel was telling Phoebe.

Joey couldn't agree more.

'_It's supposed to be that way'_, he thought.

He looked at them both, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

"About time too!" he shouted, dragging them both in a bear hug.

Charlie felt a bit out of place, but she wanted to express her thoughts, too.

"Congratulations, guys. I think it's very nice for Emma to have her parents back together."

Rachel nodded, "Yeah, we think so, too."

Ross moved away from the girls, who had started chatting friendly. He took Joey to the side and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure you are all right about this?"

Joey chuckled, pleased for his friend's concern. "Yeah, Ross. I must say, I've never been so excited in the last couple of years. This is pretty amazing!"

"I know!" Ross chuckled along.

"Listen…" Joey reassured him. "I know I've had feelings for Rachel in the past, but I'm completely over her. Just seeing you two together reminded me of how much you're meant for each other."

Ross was getting emotional, "Thanks, man."

They shared their mutual bro fist, then they hugged, both relieved for each other's reaction.

Rachel observed them from where she was standing, still grinning for how things had turned out.

* * *

**LATER THAT NIGHT**

"How did you manage to stay awake during your speech?" Rachel wondered.

"I think it was due to all the adrenaline in my system, you know, for everything that happened in the last 24 hours…And hey, even if I _had_ fallen asleep, I would have just kept company to at least 15 people in the audience!"

Rachel chuckled gleefully for Ross's self-mocking humor.

After a very long day, they were watching the sunset in the same spot they had been the night before. They were casually leaning on the patio fence, both exhausted but too content to just surrender to sleep.

"This was definitely the most important day of my life after Ben and Emma's birth." Ross stated quietly, his eyes set on the sky in front of them.

"I'm glad you feel like that too, Sweetie." Rachel agreed.

She sighed for the wonderful view, "It's so beautiful."

"It really is."

Ross gazed back at her, noticing how focused she was. He smiled, sensing that might be the right moment to ask her.

"Rach, I know that technically we've been together for less than one day, but…there's something I want to discuss with you."

"Ok." She said, a bit worried.

"I want to ask you here, because this is the place where I found out that miracles happen."

"I thought this was the place you found out that Joey can put little cocktail umbrellas up his nostrils."

Ross chuckled, "Yeah, that too."

While Rachel's giggle subsided, he got serious again. "In my life…I've never thought that I would be so lucky to have a second chance with you. But you are the strongest woman I know, and you decided to give me another shot."

Rachel nodded, caressing his arms.

"Well, I already told you that I'm going to make you happy and I'll try to – no, I _will_ become a better person. I will never stop showing how much I love you."

"Oh, Ross." She muttered, leaning her forehead on his.

"I know that this might feel a little rushed, but there's something I've got to ask you."

"Well, shoot." She smiled tenderly.

"Would you move in with me again? You and Emma? And not on a temporary basis, but permanently."

Rachel grinned from ear to ear, "Really?"

"Of course, Rach. I don't want to be without you anymore. We are done being stupid, and it's not like we didn't live together before…and it was great! This is just the most logical thing to do, now that we are a couple again."

"Emma's gonna have her own room? I won't have to share it with her anymore?" she asked, excited.

Ross squeezed his eyes at her, "Actually, I was going to offer you the couch."

Rachel chuckled and smacked his chest jokingly, "Silly! I won't move in, if I'm not sharing a bed with you."

"That's a condition I could deal with." He kidded, putting his hands on her waist, starting to sway slowly.

"We kind of have to make up for the lost time." Rachel purred. "And for what did not happen last night."

"I'm sorry, sweetie, we had so much to talk about. But I promise, as soon as we are back home, I'll make it up to you. I'm going to make sure that our three hundredth time is memorable!"

Rachel chuckled delightfully, then they hugged.

"You know; I don't remember being _this_ happy the first time we got together." Ross admitted guilty.

"Me too." Rachel agreed. "Perhaps it's because it's not just you and me, this time. We've got Emma too. And I can't wait to see her!"

"You think she'll notice?" Ross wondered.

"She's just a baby, I don't think so. But sending our Christmas card as a family is going to be amazing this year!" Rachel said fervently.

As soon as she mentioned this, Rachel's mind cooked up a very stupid yet amazing idea.

'_Why not?'_

That was what she'd been wanting for almost ten years. Since she'd listened to Chandler blabbering about that crystal duck.

"Ross." She whispered.

"Yeah?" he asked, gently caressing her hair.

"What would you think if we sent our Christmas card as the Geller family?"

Ross kept holding her, her head still carefully leaning against his chest. "Sure. I just need to ask my parents and Monica."

Rachel chuckled, "No, no. I meant…what would you think if I were part of the Geller family in the Christmas card?"

Ross finally let go of her, a hopeful expression on his face. "Do you really mean what you just said?"

Rachel smirked, "It depends on what you think about it."

Ross's sly smile was all he conceded before putting a hand in his pocket to pull out a blue velvet case.

"You guess what I think about it now?" he challenged her.

Rachel gasped, putting her hands on her cheeks. "Oh my god! Where did – how did you – when?" she blabbered.

Ross shook his head fast, "After our walk this morning, when we got back to my room I couldn't sleep. So I went out and I found myself in front of this jewelry store and… somehow this ended up in my pocket."

Rachel opened the case, still held securely in Ross's hands.

The ring was the finest piece of jewelry she'd ever laid eyes on. With a diamond and a blue sapphire, she fell in love with it at first sight.

When Rachel looked carefully at Ross again - on the verge of crying – he stared back at her seriously.

"I was sure that once we decided to do this, I would have made the best proposal ever." He complained.

Rachel sighed, recalling the story that Ross had told in Massapequa during his parents' anniversary celebration.

"Yeah, I remember."

"This is no planetarium, and there are no lilies, but…we are in Barbados. Remember what happened here?"

Rachel didn't immediately catch up, "What?"

"Our fake wedding." he clarified.

Then Ross started to hum a tune. "_Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful?_"

Rachel laughed for Ross's lame imitation of Stevie Wonder. She was touched, tough, because he still remembered the details of that night even if they had only _pretended_ to be married.

She glimpsed again at the ring, then she focused on Ross.

"So, shall we do this the old-fashioned way?"

Rachel nodded, with tears of joy already trailing down her face.

Ross kneeled down, lifting the opened case before her.

"Rach, will you marry me?"

"Yes, absolutely!" She managed to answer between the sobs.

Ross stood up and put the ring on her left hand.

"It's perfect." Her lip was quivering, her voice draped into little more than a whisper.

"It wasn't my first time, you know." Ross joked.

"It was the first with me, though. Even if we already got married once." She reminded him.

Ross didn't want to think about their drunken wedding in Vegas, "Let's pretend it's also _our_ first time."

"Deal." Rachel smiled, kissing him passionately.

Ross sighed, glad that he'd finally find the guts to do this. "You were SO worth the wait." He stated, emulating Chandler's typical inflection.

Rachel chortled, "I know!" she yelled, imitating Monica.

This exchange made them chuckle cheerfully. As their laugh subsided, they both secretly hoped that their relationship would get back to be as perfect as Monica and Chandler's bond.

It had taken them a while to be in that place again.

Their relationship had always been crazy and full of highs and lows.

But now they were _on_ again, and they wouldn't want it any other way.

* * *

**Author note: **

**I may be a little biased, but I sincerely think that this might have been a much better ending for Season 9 than the original one. =)**


End file.
